No matter how you slice it, weight gain of any type, muscle included, requires a caloric surplus. Why? Because you’re creating new tissue. You can’t create something out of nothing.

You need inputs (calories) to create outputs (lean muscle mass).

Let me repeat: you will NOT gain weight OR muscle if you are NOT in a caloric surplus.

However, don’t let this fool you: the “See Food” approach of “I see it, I eat it, with no regard to caloric content except for the insulin I take” is not the optimal way to gain weight. You’ll be chasing high and low blood sugars constantly with the massive amounts of insulin you’ll be taking, and the majority of the weight you gain will be fat.

I personally prefer a slower, more methodical approach to weight gain. Put simply, you determine your caloric maintenance – how many calories required for maintaining body weight – and then adds 200-300 calories or 5-10% of total calories on top of that number.

You can learn how to easily find your caloric maintenance level in this post!

Don’t: Rush the process

Why so conservative?

Muscle gain is not linear or fast

If your resistance-training program is doing its job, you should be making steady progress in the gym during this time in a caloric surplus, whether it is increases in your load (amount of weight you are using) or increases in your volume (sets and reps).

However, in ideal conditions, the maximum amount of muscle you can build in a week is ½ lb. That’s assuming everything is PERFECT. Women, cut that number in half. That rate is for new lifters: the more experienced you are, the slower that rate will be.

That being said, why overload your body with excess calories if only a moderate percentage will turn into the lean mass you desire?

Less fat gain

Raise your hand if you enjoy insulin resistance, decreased levels of testosterone (with corresponding increases in estrogen), and making life more difficult for yourself for no reason?

No one? That’s what I thought.

Too high a surplus leads to more fat gain, which activates the aforementioned mechanisms above, which primes the body to lay down even MORE fat while making it tougher to add muscle.

Slow and steady wins this race.

Easier to manage blood sugar levels

In my experience, it is quite a bit simpler to factor in a modest increase in calories into my insulin-dosing regimen than a huge increase. While the occasional day of a 1000+ caloric surplus is doable and manageable, it’s a lot more playing catch up of blood sugars on the back end – the spikes are higher, the crashes are lower, and insulin sensitivity changes through the day and even by the meal. Throw in some meals where the macros are a mystery, and let the roller coaster ride begin!

Do: Eat enough protein

Protein consumption aids in satiety, muscle protein synthesis, recovery from workouts, post-meal blood sugars, and a myriad of other benefits that could be a whole separate article.

To make a long story short: you need it to be at your best, and you need it in adequate amounts.

No, you won’t need to eat pounds of meat or drink six shakes a day. Without boring you with too much biochemistry and research, the American College for Sports Medicine recommends a daily intake of 0.5-0.8g/lb (1) and multiple studies recommend 0.6-0.8g/lb (2, 3, 4), with no real benefit beyond 0.8g/lb.

Don’t: Worry about being perfect

Nothing feels worse than having your diet absolutely on point for the day, testing your blood sugar at 1130pm, being 54, and eating what seems like everything in the house.

We have type 1 diabetes. Life happens. Your blood sugars may run high one day and you may not hit your caloric goal, or you may have a low and overeat.

Do not stress, my friends. That solves nothing and actually may make your blood sugars worse.

Diabetes control comes before anything else. To perform at our best in the gym, on the field, or wherever we may be, blood sugar management is the key to success. If everything is haywire, forcing things will get us nowhere.

Remember: your calories are like a bank – if you withdraw too much one day, make up for it the next day by reducing calories a little. If you undereat one day, eat a little more the next day. This principle can be applied to both muscle gain and weight loss.

Conclusion

This is simply an introduction, but at the end of the day, the key is finding what method works the best for YOU.

About Ben Tzeel

Ben Tzeel is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), holding a Masters in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ben has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since 1999 and has never allowed it to hold him back from achieving his goals. He is a published fitness model and author who writes about exercise, nutrition, and diabetes.

I am Type 1 diabetic and one thing I have noticed is that I gain muscle almost too fast, faster than I gain strength. I assume this is due to the insulin factor and I am a very conservative insulin taker and I do a lot of cardio in between sets.
But in the weight lifting world many have taken to taking insulin to gain more muscles, so it appears that this is part of the process, for better or for worse.
But then again this just might be my metabolism in general.
Another thing I have noticed is that after working out, it takes me longer to recover.
Any an all working out is great for the overall system, but it takes some diligence to not go to low or high due to muscles absorbing glucose store and releasing them.
If anything it makes the body more efficient in the use of the insulin that you take and allows your body to access the sugars in the system through the muscles.
And it also increases blood flow overall.
Just things to consider.

I stumbled across this article and website, just to become more intrigued. I’m also a type 1 and have been for 23 years. I’ve alwyas been looking at becoming a personal trainer and needed this type of information on nutrition for a long time. I can’t express how much this site and your team is an inspiration for me. Is there any information on how I can pursue the same career path? I’d love to know how I can accomplish these goals.

Hi Andrew,
Thank you! Glad you like the site.
The first step would be to get a personal training education. There are different options so depends on your focus. And then you start to add on. Some of our writers have nutrition degrees, some have other physiology degrees and some are personal trainers who have worked with PWDs for a long time and have a significant amount of relevant continued education.
So if you’d like to be a strength coach like Ben, maybe a similar education as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) is the way to start.
But most importantly, continue to be your genuine self

Love this article. This is exactly the formula to gain muscle if you have diabetes. Even though I don’t take insulin and meds anymore because I keep it under control, it was a learning process for me and what worked for me. The more reliable information you have, the better you are at managing your diabetes. From the time I was diagnosed over 5 years ago, I have lost 85 lbs. and lift weights 3 times a week with cardio 2 to 3 times a week. Weight lifting / resistance training and solid, reliable information like these priceless articles on Fit with Diabetes / Fit Blog saved my life. I am 53 years old and competing in my first Triathlon in 3 weeks… and I am so excited. Ms. Oerum’s information is priceless, as well as the experts she utilizes to educate people with diabetes. And ladies, if you want a wonderful body, follow these wonderful weight training / resistance exercises Ms. Oerum has on this website. It will be your fountain of youth. I love to wear tank tops and shorts and show all my muscles. I’m no Arnold but I always have people come up to me and tell me how good my arms, legs, back, etc. look. …..The hardest part is just starting, that initial beginning. And I stuck with it…..take all this priceless information and use it…..I started seeing better A1C in my first 6 months…. and I couldn’t believe how I looked. Once you see your body change and energy levels change, you are hooked, your life is better, everything is better. Just start ….

Oh my, you’re making me blush 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to write this very kind feedback. I’m thrilled for you, and very impressed with all you have achieved (and in such a limited timeframe I might add).
I hope you have fun with your Triathlon, and keep rocking those tanktops and shorts!!!

Really truly appreciate all the articles and insights. Would it be possible to have some help for us well aged Type 1 diabetics that no longer have the stamina or endurance that many of these things take. At age 73 and after 41 years as a type 1 with hand, leg , foot problems as a result what would you suggest for building muscle other than long hours at the gym. Still working full time which I am convinced is keeping me alive so long hours exercising at the gym is not possible.